Stephen Colbert Lands New Talk Show Gig After ‘Late Show’ Cancellation

CBS might have canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, but the host isn’t stepping away from television just yet, as he’s already lined up a new gig.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Colbert is set to make a guest appearance on the upcoming third season of CBS’ crime comedy-drama Elsbeth, which returns on October 12. The comedian will guest star as the host of a fictional late-night talk show called Way Late with Scotty Bristol.

Elsbeth is a spin-off of The Good Wife and The Good Fight, centering on Carrie Preston‘s Elsbeth Tascioni, an unconventional attorney who ends up working as a de facto detective. The show also stars Carra Patterson as young NYPD officer Kaya Blanke and Wendell Pierce as NYPD captain Charles Wallace (C. W.) Wagner.

Colbert filmed his episode this past week, though his appearance had reportedly been in the works for many months. In February, when Pierce was a guest on The Late Show, Colbert asked the actor if he could help bag him a role on Elsbeth, quipping, “I’ve always wanted to be a corpse on one of these shows.”

“I can make that happen. I know a guy who knows a guy. We can get you on,” Pierce responded.

With its ‘murder-of-the-week’ format, Elsbeth regularly features guest stars in one-off roles. Others who have appeared across the first two seasons include Jane Krakowski, Keegan-Michael Key, Vanessa Williams, Matthew Broderick, Mary-Louise Parker, Laurie Metcalf, and more.

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On July 17, Colbert broke the shocking news to viewers that CBS and Paramount had canceled The Late Show, with its final episode set to air in May 2026.

CBS cited financial reasons for the cancellation; however, others have speculated the decision was made due to Colbert’s criticism of Paramount’s recent settlement with Donald Trump. This comes amid Paramount’s proposed merger with Skydance, which requires regulatory approval from the Trump administration.

Following the news of the cancelation, Trump took to social media to gloat about Colbert’s firing, warning that Jimmy Kimmel would be next on the chopping block. Colbert responded to the President on his July 21 broadcast, telling Trump, “Go f*** yourself!”